Friday, November 4, 2011

The Music Paradigm

If you want to experience professional development at its best, hope that you take part in The Music Paradigm. Maestro Roger Nierenburg uses a chamber ensemble—one he has never conducted before—to demonstrate leadership. Along with 150 heads of school from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, we sat among the musicians and witnessed the power of the conductor as leader. We were swept away by Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and the brilliance of Nierenburg.

Here, see for yourself

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great video. Thanks for sharing!

Having been a teacher, a musician, and a school leader at various times in my life, I would say that perhaps teachers are less used to being led in concert than are members of a symphony orchestra. In fact, we teachers like to fancy ourselves the conductors, and less rarely see ourselves as playing second fiddle. But an orchestra is a great metaphor for any effective organization.

Anonymous said...

And the idea that a room full of men and women who lead schools, can learn how to "orchestrate" their respective schools to bring all the moving parts into a more unified whole, is great. I've taught in schools of various levels, and I could see this connection being useful for administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents.